Health & Wellness In BC and Beyond!

Teachers

A comprehensive library of tools for joint and tissue health at your fingertips 24/7! There are so many online programs these days for every niche in the health and wellness industry, and it can be hard to navigate which ones are truly best for you and, or your clients wellbeing.

When it comes to mobility and ensuring the health of tissues and joints, it’s important to choose a program that aims at recovery and longevity. Not just standard warm up and cool downs for training days. Recovery is the key to ensuring you move well without pain or restriction for not only the long haul of your sport, but for your life.

Why is joint health so important?

Inevitably, each of us is subjected to the experience of aging and its detrimental impact on quality of life. The degradation of joint and tissue health are a large part of what leads to the increase in chronic pain and reduction in function that people experience.

Why is tissue health important?

Our tissue over time starts to lose it’s viscosity and pliability. This means at the cellular level our tissue loses water and elasticity and becomes stiff over time. What this also means is that as we age, we must take more time and effort to reclaim that lost elasticity and mobility to the tissues that act upon our joints. By addressing mobility issues in both the tissues and the joints we can allow greater access to range and rotation which improves the overall durability of movement.

Prevention versus treatment:
As a corrective movement coach working in both the clinical as well as the performance arena’s for nearly 2 decades, I have learned that prevention is the KEY to longevity to any given sport, and of course in life. No matter what genre of the industry you work in:

The one thing every sport, and of course life, has in common is the necessity for optimal recovery and sustaining durability over the long haul.

That is why I chose to create a comprehensive system of recovery strategies that are designed to provide the public with the tools through this systematic approach to maintain and improve the health of your joints and the tissues that support them.

Benefits to a Durability practice:

Learn to apply the Body Mapping process as a tool to regularly assess the current state of various joints and tissues.

Understand the impact of fascial health on longevity and performance.

Utilize ground based drills to help increase strength and skill in targeted movement skills.

Develop a systematic approach to Decompression as an integral part of a performance enhancement program

Release unwanted restrictive tension through the practice of a Restorative Mobility practice.

At the Onnit Academy, we would argue that having the tools to positively impact yourself and others with a comprehensive joint health program is likely to provide the greatest return on investment of any physical activity.

Let me introduce you to Onnit On Demand. As the Onnit Academy Durability Master Coach my hope is that these tools can help identify and address movement limitations, tissue and joint compensations, and even reduce pain.

If you are all about optimizing your health and vitality, and interested in learning how Durability and movement competency can translate, as well as compliment, other movement based systems of training out there, then this channel is for you!

I invite you to take my 4-week challenge.

For $9 a month, you will access to full 4 week programs that help you integrate recovery, decompression and movement preparation into your daily lifestyle. With educational tutorials, an e book and full length follow along videos you will start and end your day restoring movement.

Feel free to contact me at [email protected] for questions, comments or just a good ole chat!

“Yoga means Union, to yoke. The Clubbell Yoga practice is a modern expression of the yoking of two very effective ancient systems, eastern Club swinging and Hatha Yoga. Yoga means many different things to many different people, and many ‘yogis’ follow a specific lineage that resonates with them. We recognize that Yoga can be a spiritual practice, it can be a devotional practice, and it can be a physical practice that leads to other intellectual studies.” – Orgins, of Clubbell Yoga, Summer Huntington

Clubbell Yoga:

Clubbell Yoga is a fusion of strength and intelligent movement. For those of you who are new to Clubbells it is a tool relatively new to the Canadian market, yet well distributed in the USA, Europe, and abroad. I had the opportunity to chat with Summer Hunington, Co-founder of Clubbell Yoga to learn more about this workshop coming to Vancouver BC, this January.

Clubbells are a unique tool, which require precision, stabilization, and a good deal of articulation under load. What makes the clubbell unique ,is its design, in that the majority of the weight is distributed above the handle, creating a longer lever to control under load. When held upright it requires more muscle activation and motor control in the shoulder complex, postural muscles and trunk stabilization to keep it steady and to transition from movement to movement, while maintaining breath and flow. Drawing from Summer’s experience as an adjunct teacher in Kinesiology, a leader in the community of Yoga, and as a head CST coach, she is paving the way for movement culture.

CST is the “flagship” professional certification course at RMAX International pioneered by Scott Sonnon, a refined, coherent, cohesive and comprehensive approach to the industry of movement culture. CST has rapidly emerged as a leader among the premier training modalities in the health / fitness and strength / conditioning arenas.

How is Clubbell Yoga compliment traditional fields of conditioning?

One of the greatest myths of our time is that “hardcore” trainers tend to not have a background in yoga, nor do they see the benefits. Those who “lift;” don’t do yoga and vicer versa; that yogis don’t have much knowledge in training for power and don’t life. This is a misconception, and it has left many “lifters” injured due to lack of dynamic mobility and “yogis” injured from overuse and improper alignment.

Clubbell Yoga aims to bridge the gaps between these two groups and reeducate the benefit of integrating both into a seamless practice.

Who Can Benefit?

Both of these disciplines compliment each-other, and are designed to build from the ground up. This means you do not have to be experienced in either discipline; this workshop is designed for all levels in both fields of study.; especially for active professionals involved in sport. You can be a beginner or you can be experienced. The glorious thing about both disciplines is that you can go at your pace. There is an introduction to both modalities; which can have endless benefits for both body and mind.

Vancouver Workshop: Clubbell Yoga & Anatomy Breakdowns

Come learn about glute activation and core with Accupuncturist and NKT specialist Carolyn Watson and Summer Huntington, co-creator of Clubbell Yoga. They are both very dynamic teachers who will improve your understanding of yoga poses involving glutes, give you anatomy breakdowns and hold discussions and breakout sessions. Yogis, trainers, pilates instructors and everyone in between are invited to this workshop in the heart of Vancouver, BC.

VIP Registration – $99
(Register before December 15th, 2014)Early* Registration – $129
(Register before January 16th, 2015)Registration paid in Full – $150
(*VIP and Early registrants can borrow clubbell at event)

About the Co Founders:

Summer Huntington:

Summer Huntington is a Head Coach at RMAX International, co-creator of Clubbell Yoga and owner of Fit Body Wellness. Her primary objective is to help bridge the gap between strength training and yoga by infusing weighted Clubbells into traditional vinyasa classes. She holds an undergraduate and masters degree in Kinesiology: Human Movement & Performance, is an adjunct professor and is an experienced yoga teacher.

Summer practices and teaches vinyasa flow yoga and Clubbell Yoga with an emphasis on alignment, thoughtful sequencing and cultivating a soothing meditation through movement. Summer has been a longtime student of Scott Sonnon, founder of the Circular Strength Training (CST) method, which is mind-body exercise using a Clubbell. Her joint-mobility, Prasara yoga and Flow Fit background allow her to help students to unlock bound areas and allows for training of the nervous system.

Scott Sonnon:

Scott is the founder of RMAX International, CST and Tacfit. Scott has now taken his success in martial art, fitness and yoga off the mat and into the classrooms, as an international speaker advocating for children and adults facing labels of learning difficulties, facing the ravages of obesity, the trials of post-traumatic stress, the dangers of bullyism and the challenges of accelerated aging in joints and soft tissue.

In the fall, I had the delightful opportunity to join Martina Bell and Angela Kariya for a yoga group book club meeting covering Active Hope, by Joanna Macy (read Angela’s fantastic review here).

The Yoga Social Book Club is meeting again on March 4 (free event at Banyen Books, 7-8:30pm) to discuss Stephen Cope’s The Great Work of Your Life – 10% off at Banyen Books this month! If you have an interest in the theoretical, social, and philosophical underpinnings of yoga, or just want to read a great book and meet new people for discussion, I would strongly suggest making plans to attend the book club meeting.

Martina and Angela provided a warm and open environment for discussion and review of the topics and issued raised in the book. Guided by interesting and engaging questions, the book club got to know each other quickly in an evening of animated discussion, laughter and sharing.

These are two experienced yoga teachers, with a thoughtful and insightful perspective on a wide range of topics. Book club is open to anyone – no need to be explicitly involved in yoga. Just come and enjoy a great evening with interesting and engaging people!

About The Great Work of Your Life:

In this fast-paced age, the often overwhelming realities of daily life may leave you feeling uncertain about how to realize your life’s true purpose. But yoga scholar Stephen Cope says that in order to have a fulfilling life you must discover the deep purpose hidden at the very core of yourself. In The Great Work of Your Life, Cope describes the process of unlocking the unique possibility harbored within every human soul.

About Angela and Martina:

ANGELA KAYIRA & MARTINA BELL are registered yoga teachers in Vancouver. Combined they have been practicing yoga for over 22 years, taught for over 10 years and studied various styles and lineages in Canada, the USA and Europe. They teach Yoga Teacher Trainings at In Life School of Yoga.

Kat Wong has been instructing Flow, Hot & Core Yoga classes since 2008. Her students love her energy, her voice, and the experience she gives them. She keeps her students challenged with new ideas, engaging them with music, props & visualizations. They explore movements of strength while keeping the mind calm and centered. Students leave her class refreshed and ready to embrace life’s challenges.

With a strong passion in health and fitness, she found yoga as the perfect adjunct to balance her busy lifestyle. Kat found she could connect with her inner self by coming to her place of solitude, her mat. She has learned to understand the power of the breath as a tool to calm the mind and relax the body. As a Nutritionist and Personal Trainer, she feels that an individual’s health is vital to enjoy life to the fullest.

Man sacrifices his health in order to make money.
Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health.
And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;
the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;
he lives as if he is never going to die,
and then dies having never really lived”
~ Dalai Lama

She hopes that her students’ journey in health and fitness will not just be for self-improvement and discovery, but will also offer them a tool for self-creation.

There’s nothing like strolling into a room and catching the sound of a nice full laugh. With Sarah you’ll frequently get that in and out of class. Light and breezy, her classes can feel rather muted in their difficulty yet never in their energy. From hatha to yin, you’ll be able to get everything you want out of yoga through her. Though I don’t sweat in her power classes like I do in others, mental and physical strengthening from her are just as potent and noticeable after the practice.

It wouldn’t be a long shot to say you can be thrown off by her approach to each class. With a bright and sunny disposition she’ll wander about the room and ask, very literally, everyone on their energy level of the day and whether or not they have any injuries. After her rounds she adjusts her class to fit the class average to great affect. I say this because I’ve noticed that classes with a few more advanced practitioners will feel that much more challenging than a class with a handful of beginners.

Some teachers will hold their line, unchanging in their itinerary, but Sarah always takes care to strike a balance. Her hatha classes see the most changes, as it’s the most accessible style of yoga, and yin and power change the least. I can’t really think of a more gentle and/or relaxing teacher to help someone wind down a day or a week. Her genuine cheeriness is a pleasure to be around, and we would all do a bit better with a brightness such as hers. She also has an amazing hairdo. Just sayin’.

With the onset of fall and the need to draw more inward focus, it’s the perfect time to spend a weekend in meditation and learning. We are very fortunate to have renowned scholar and teacher Paul Muller-Ortega here for a weekend of Sadhana Satsang Inner Space Yoga on Oct 20-21.

Tickets are $300+hst with the class running all Saturday and Sunday (9:30am-5:30pm). Register online here. Don’t miss out on this unique event!

Churn the Ocean of Infinite Possibility and thus invite the most auspicious life for yourself! The ancient Hindu myth
of the Churning of the Ocean of Milk symbolically conveys the centrality and importance of authentic Yogic practice, Sadhana. It is Sadhana, not philosophy or mere ideology which lies at the center of the Tantric Shaivite Yogic tradition. Through the daily application of profound and profoundly transformative Tantric Yogic practices, the
practitioner begins to experience the nectarean luster of the Light of Consciousness within.

Sadhana churns our awareness. It allows for the arising of fulfillment as an ongoing quality of each moment. Through authentic, deep practice, our inherent gifts and skills are gradually, spontaneously activated and become accessible to us. Sadhana becomes the living doorway through which we can inquire ongoingly into the nature of the Great Consciousness, into Reality, into the very Existence of Life itself.

Embark upon a journey with renowned scholar and beloved teacher Paul Muller-Ortega for a Sadhana Satsang where we will deepen our understanding of Tantric Sadhana and learn powerful, elegant, yet accessible practices for the revelation of the Light of Consciousness. Paul will guide students in the Release Practice, Japa (recitation of mantras), Meditation and other beautiful and potent techniques.

Recently, I had the outstanding pleasure of attending a 2hr Sunday session of “Yogasilks” at che baba, yoga and cantina, 603 Kinsgway in Vancouver. It was the most fun I have had in a yoga class since I tried my first partner yoga class last year and got the taste for “flying” poses.

And fly you will! Led by the uber-talented kiwi-born Vancouver teacher, Yogasilks founder and long-time yogi, Ross Howatson, this class hosted 10 fresh-faced and excited beginners to Yogasilks and we had an absolute blast.

Suspended from “silks” – think: long, stretchy, silky sheets tied at two corners – suspended from the ceiling, students are led through a series of yoga poses ranging from Warrior 1, Trikonasana, hip openers, heart openers, core strengtheners to breathing exercises, relaxation and gentle inversions.

With an adventuresome group ready to take on the thrill of the silks, we were challenged with a few fun and crazy cirque-de-soleil-esque moves: fallen angel (sees you threading through and dropping out of the silks – safely though!), handstand (with legs threaded through the silks – what an amazing experience!) and a few more inversions (think Sukasana, easy pose, but upside down and dangling). Ending class coccooned sweetly in the silks with a guided relaxation, I left feeling settled and grounded. Not to mention, my hips, legs and back felt amazing all week!

Ross did a brilliant job of encouraging, humouring and challenging the Yogasilks students. I would strongly recommend this 2hr workshop to anyone who loves hanging around, playing, having fun and trying something new in your yoga practice. I fully intend to be back on a regular basis!

After the workshop, the participants all enjoyed tapas at the attached cantina. The food is simply incredible. A sweet little spot, che baba was started by a young local couple, Allison and Stephan, who love sharing yoga, great food, and creating community.

Try Yogasilks. Seriously. Bring your friends. You will fall in love with Ross, the silks, che baba and the whole experience.

Che baba runs 2hr workshops on Sundays (first two weeks of August cancelled for trainings), which are a great introduction for beginners. The studio runs a regular Yogasilks drop-in class during the week, which will start back in the fall. In the meantime, che baba also touts a full drop-in schedule of other classes, which would be a great excuse to do some yoga before enjoying a meal at the cantina!

Love the idea and want to get teaching it? Yogasilks classes are currently in development at other studios and teachers will be needed! Che baba only has a few spots available for Yogasilks Teacher Training, Aug 11-12, 9am-5pm (delicious lunch provided by the cantina), $640+hst. For more information please contact Ross Howatson at [email protected]

Make time for Yogasilks in September and enjoy flying and hanging around! Please comment below if you have already attended a session and let me know about your experiences!

Matthew Kocel is a throat singer, visionary musician and healing arts practitioner driven by his mission to inspire unity through the universal language of music and sacred sound. The harmonic overtones of his voice – two, three, or more notes at the same time – vibrate the core of your being with extraordinary sensations, awakening a deep spiritual presence beyond words.

Having personally attended a number of his events, I can vouch for the marvelous sensations and deep sense of calming energy his sessions create. He is leading a number of events in the coming weeks – including one this Friday night at Live Yoga in White Rock!! The Healing and Cave adventure on July 28 is going to be simply awe inspiring…

Accessing your deep deep self is the gateway to the answers you seek Matthew will bring his music and healing sounds to help facilitate rapid transformation and healing in this dynamic experience with Harry Nichols and Kathy Welter.

Doors open at 6:45. Mats provided, feel free to bring and extra cushion or blanket for you comfort.

$15 advance $20 at the door

Saturday, July 28, 2:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Horne Lake Sound Healing & Caving Adventure!

Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park:Vancouver Island BC, BC, Canada

Take a guided 3 hour “Ice Age Adventure” with Brad Morris and Matthew Kocel along with a group of fellow soul journeyers in the magical caves at Horne Lake!
This thrilling trip starts off with a 20 min hike to the entrance of the Riverbend Cave. During the hike an informative and entertaining guide will explain how the Ice Age created these caves. While exploring, you will be energized by the amazing energy emanating from crystal formations that are over ten thousand years old!
Between these two magnificent caves you will see an underground waterfall, marvel at the amazing crystals and squeeze through the ceiling galleries – a small taste of “wild” caving!
Don’t forget your camera!Healing Journey and Prayer Offering
After visiting the Riverbend Cave, we will enter a series of marble passages and underground spaces in the Main Cave before diving into a powerful sound healing journey and prayer offering guided by Matthew Kocel, capped off with group toning and chant.
This is an incredible opportunity to amplify, broadcast, and anchor your deepest prayers for the Earth and humanity.
Can you imagine how powerful it would be to chant in the deep caverns of an ancient cave in total darkness?
Do you have prayers you wish to offer to our Mother Earth?
The Crystal Caverns at Horne Lake are a natural, crystalline temple, just waiting for you!
Feel into the intention and possibility for what this journey has in store, and you will know in your heart that this will indeed be a magical, once in a lifetime spiritual adventure!
$144

You know and love her. You definitely won’t want to miss her. Seane Corn is coming to Vancouver for a weekend workshop entitled, “Three Realms of Consciousness” at Semperviva from June 15-17. Nuff said.

Well, maybe you want to know more…. Here are further details! Sounds like a great weekend!

In this Vinyasa flow workshop, we will explore the Three Realms of Consciousness—the physical/mental, the energetic/emotional and the psychic/symbolic. These three realms create a holistic pathway for Self-investigation: the key for personal transcendence. In these three realms, we use asana, chakra mapping, meditation, reflection and prayer to create a ritualistic journey initiating the mystical into to the practical, bonding body, mind and Spirit. Learn how Self- confidence is the necessary tool for intuitive work, how to use your body to create a cosmic relationship with Spirit, and how, through prayer, we can become of service to Spirit and to the world around us. The intention of this workshop is to reconnect to our bodies, gain emotional insight, explore our individual Soul’s purpose and cultivate skills — both physically and psychically — to Spiritually assist each other and the planet we inhabit.

Although these classes can be taken separately, the workshop is intended to be taken as a whole. The benefits of taking the classes consecutively can enhance the positive physical, mental and psychological possibilities you will create as a result of doing the practice.

About Seane Corn

Seane Corn is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher known for her impassioned activism and inspirational style of teaching. A strong and articulate voice for social change, she started her activism work by creating the yoga program for L.A. shelter “Children of the Night” Since 2006, her work has been focused on training leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World® and bringing awareness to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Dice Iida-Klein and Briohny Smyth are amazing yogis and teachers in their own rights, but together they are outstanding!

Hailing from California, they both teach out of their home studio, Black Dog Yoga in Sherman Oaks, CA. You can catch Dice’s classes on Yoga Glo, while Bri was most recently known for her Equinox yoga video fame, as well as her classes on Yogis Anonymous. They form the duo of Handstanders.com.

Check them out in this inspiring handstanding/partner yoga demonstration from last month. Get inspired!

I’m not sure why it took me so long, but I finally signed up for a weekly online newsletter at http://yogaanatomy.net/ delivered by Leslie Kaminoff, a leading anatomy teacher and author of the #1 best-selling yoga book “Yoga Anatomy.”

Once a week, I receive an email that features tips and information about yoga and anatomy. Every email features a different pose and its anatomical intrigues: for instance, Halasana (Plow Pose) a couple of weeks ago included information about the muscle groups, skeletal movements and rotations, as well as implications for the breath and a couple of excellent animations to illustrate the pose.

Kaminoff also includes a quote of the week. An ardent fan of a well-intentioned quote, I especially appreciate this inclusion. They are often perfectly straight-to-the-point. Just what a yoga student needs to hear:

There is nothing wrong with you that you have one tight hip and one loose hip, or one leg that wants to turn out a little more than the other. This is what it is to be human. So give yourself a break.

The newsletters include a short video on various topics related to teaching. They also provide information about signing up for his acclaimed Yoga Anatomy Course, previously only available at his studio (now available online!). “The Breathing Project in NYC, has helped teachers and practitioners from yoga, dance, pilates, and somatic therapy backgrounds improve their teaching, enhance their personal practice, and provide better experiences for their students and clients.” (http://yogaanatomy.net/)

If you aren’t already receiving the weekly newsletter from YogaAnatomy.net, sign up now! Visit www.YogaAnatomy.net and provide your email address in the top right corner. Enjoy the wonderful information from Leslie Kaminoff!

Clara Roberts-Oss is brilliant. Her classes are wonderful. She loves yoga to explore, play and move. Don’t miss the chance to take a special event class with her this weekend.

This Sunday, March 11, join Clara for her class “Lila!” which occurs only once a month at Semperviva, City Studio!

Join Clara Roberts-Oss each month for a session of Lila/Cosmic Play, exploring various asana.

These informative workshops address groups of poses that require more explanation or time to investigate. Each workshop will address alignment of more challenging poses, and how these poses manifest in our bodies. Class will begin with a vinyasa flow to warm the body, then move to the workshop aspect of the class. Questions and active participation are encouraged!